Margarita Simonyan quoted Nielsen's plea to "be aware" about the two outlets, adding ironically "Lest you may like it."
"You will be drawn in. You will keep watching and reading only us. And then it's only a short distance to the Salisbury [Cathedral] spire," Simonyan said.
The latter was a reference to Simonyan's interview with two Russian citizens whom the United Kingdom is suspecting of involvement in a poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England. The two men, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, told Simonyan that they came to the UK city of Salisbury as tourists, to see the sights, in particular, the famous Salisbury Cathedral and its spire. The two refuted the UK allegations.
READ MORE: US Homeland Security Recommends Public to 'Be Aware' of RT, Sputnik
Both RT and Sputnik have faced restrictions in their work in the United States. In November last year, the US Department of Justice ordered the broadcaster's branch in the United States, RT America, to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). RIA Global LLC, which produces content for the Sputnik news agency, was ordered to register as a "foreign agent" in February. Sputnik Radio's partner Reston Translator had to do the same in November.